William Bradford, Quakers, and CBS Sunday Morning

An example of the type of printing press William Bradford may have used.

My Country – William Bradford

In February 1689, William Bradford was charged with printing the Charter without permission. Justice Douglas argued, based on the transcript of the hearing before the Governor, that this case gave life to the First and Fifth Amendments.

In his trial, Bradford, first, asked to know his accusers. William Bradford also argued that printing was a “manufacture of the nation, and therefore ought rather to be encouraged than suppressed.” He was not taxed like in Grosjean – just brought before the Governor and questioned.

Who Was William Bradford?

Bradford had moved to Philadelphia with his printer and family. His first work, Kalendarium, was an almanac. However, Governor William Penn took offense to the printing of his name in the almanac as against Quaker tenets. The next year, in 1688, William Bradford got in trouble again for printing another almanac, which again referenced and upset the Quakers.

In 1689, Joseph Growdon, a member of the Provincial Council, employed William Bradford to print the Pennsylvania Charter. However, the council did not want the charter to be printed. According to the record, William Bradford said,

printing is my employ, my trade and calling, and that by which I get my living, to print; and if I may not print such things as come to my hand which are innocent, I cannot live. .. . If I print one thing to-day, and the contrary party bring me another tomorrow, to contradict it, I cannot say that I shall not print it. Printing is a manufacture of the nation, and therefore ought rather be encouraged than suppressed.

Bradford then quit his business and briefly went to England, to return in 1690. Later, William Bradford returned to the United States and became the principal printer for New York. William Bradford worked for the rest of his life. Additionally, in 1734, his former apprentice, John Peter Zenger, was brought to court for libel, but Bradford remained neutral during the case.

Daily Briefing

Emotions, not facts, should be used to save the Republic. I happen to agree. No one likes to be told they are wrong. It is easier to talk about how concepts affect people and appeal to their heart. The problem: many people’s hearts do not like to walk a mile in another person’s shoes.

Tips for millennials to save. Generally, the most important part is to remember that tomorrow may need a large amount of money. The purchase today may seem nice, but the $20 with interest over time may be more helpful.

Constituents should always harass their Congresspeople. They represent you. They work for you. And if they are not listening, bother the hell out of them.

Laurence Tribe overreacts, but with every overreaction, a morsel of truth lies.

They will hide Kellyanne for a while. We need to keep a eye on her lying eyes.

Living in Kentucky, I have watched this first hand. One day, Democrats may fight back. But it will take the utter loss of life and livelihood from all of these rural white Christians, who only care about abortions and who goes in bathrooms, for them to wake up to the shenanigans of these Republican administrations.

Putin Ears in the White House

Garry Kasparov, the great Chessmaster, remains one of the top Putin critics and will become one of the top Trump critics. Watch and read his words.

Everyone must do what they can themselves and not wait for others to act. If you want change, you have to initiate action, even at a personal level that might seem insignificant. As the motto of Soviet dissidents went: “Do what you must, and so be it.

Our intelligence community will not tell everything to the White House because they believe that Putin has ears in the situation room. Imagine if those words came out about a Democrat. But what does it mean for the Republican Congress? Crickets…

I hate comparing the current government to the murderous Pinochet. But we must remember that these tactics can get to that level very quickly.

The Continuing Un-American Muslim Ban and “Vetting”

Sidd Bikkannavar, a US born NASA scientist, “was detained by US Customs and Border Patrol and pressured to give the CBP agents his phone and access PIN.” Be upset. If you care about our republic and the American ideal, this should upset you.

Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune wrote in regards to the Muslim Ban, “Sniffing out incoming terrorists among those arriving from these nations is like scouting for future NHL stars in Jamaica.”

Daily Distraction

Most weekend, Brian and I catch part of CBS Sunday Morning. Recently host Charles Osgood retired. Jane Pauley became the new host and has done a fine job. Overall, it has the same feeling and pleasant sense. However, overall, in the past couple years, it does not seem to dive into the less examined arts as much as which stars, politicians, or musicians have an album coming out soon. I miss the weird stories about washing machines, Scrabble, lake mailmen, and the like. Instead, today, we learned about lip syncing (which did not really reveal anything), bro-hugs (which was the closest to charming), Emma Stone (sure), and Michael Kors (it was fine).

They recently brought Dan Rather on to interview the new President – which was a startling interview. They showed off cup stacking a few years after it became a thing (a typical CBS Sunday Morning incident). Conor Knighton had a phenomenal series about the National Parks. So, it remains a nice way to start Sunday, which have become more action packed for the last few years than in my previous 31 years – for obvious reasons.